art

This week the folks at Adobe released a set of updates for their Creative Cloud apps aplenty. The biggest update was for Adobe XD, software made to mock up and create user interfaces for a wide variety of end-use purposes. With the latest update, Adobe XD is able to work with Photoshop and Sketch assets and design files directly - right from one to the other. No more manual conversions to symbols - now's the time for copy and paste!

Google released two new apps for Android (and iOS) devices, both of which are truly entertaining. They provide the sort of functionality that a smart handheld computer really should provide, without the whole "why does this exist though" thing getting in the way. As such, I recommend you have a peek at the both of them immediately. Or on your lunch break - unless you've got a case of The Mondays already.

This week the folks at Wacom announced a new set of Intuos pen pen tablet devices. These devices are made to allow the user to write and draw with a stylus with almost any computer, Mac or Windows PC. The newest Intuos pen tablets include the same active tablet area as previous versions, but with improvements elsewhere, all around.

Wacom has a new pen-enabled display, the Cintiq Pro 24, a sizable digital art surface that can be turned into a standalone PC with a slot-in Windows 10 module. The Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 will be the largest model in the new Cintiq Pro line-up so far, at least until Wacom's 32-inch model arrives later in 2018.

Researchers have used a non-invasive tool to reveal artwork hidden behind Picasso's "La Misereuse Accroupie" painting, a new study reveals. The hidden image is of a landscape; the artist is unknown. The x-ray scan, which was used to find the hidden image, also reveals earlier iterations of Picasso's painting, helping shed light on the process that ultimately resulted in the final artwork.

Auction house Sotheby's has acquired image recognition and recommendation startup Thread Genius. With this technology, Sotheby's will be better positioned to serve customers by using AI to find and recommend artwork to potential customers based on their own preferences. The technology will be used in conjunction with the data the auction house gathers and stores.

Google has updated its Arts and Culture app with some nifty new functionality. If you download the app (or apply the new update, assuming you already had the app installed), you can share a selfie and have the app attempt to find your fine art doppelgänger. Unsurprisingly, this new functionality has taken the internet by storm, receiving a lot of attention on social media over the weekend.

Unfortunately, Shkreli might no longer actually have the physical album itself - but that might not matter. Shkreli was convicted in court in August of this year and jailed over securities fraud. He defrauded investors of two hedge funds and schemed to control shares of the company Retrophin Inc. According to Bloomberg, he's being held in federal lockup in Brooklyn, New York - just blocks and a bridge away from Staten Island, the original home of the Wu-Tang Clan.

What are your fastidious fingers meant to do when the novelty of a fidget spinner wears off? Designer Klemens Schillinger may have the answer with his Substitute Phones series, part artwork and part social message. Described as "the object as a therapeutic approach," each may be shaped like a phone but only does one thing.

Just a few days ago, I wrote about how to get started on your dream comics and manga artist career using nothing but your mobile device. Now software developer CELSYS just dropped a huge mobile bombshell. It has released Clip Studio Paint EX for iPads, bringing one of the most popular comics creation software on desktops to mobile. While it’s not exactly a perfect setup, its arrival, and future success, could change the face of content creation on the iPad for good.

Inktober has come and gone but you don’t have to wait another year to get your creative juices flowing. Creating art, or even just learning it, is a year-round endeavor of a lifetime. And thanks to the magic of modern technology, you can immediately get started on that journey with nothing but your smartphone or tablet and your dreams. So if you’re a budding comics or manga creator or are curious whether you have what it takes to be one, get out your Android or iOS device and start right here and now with these apps, most of which you might not have even heard of before.

The medium of virtual reality has just taken a big step forward towards being recognized as a legitimate form of storytelling. The Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that it's awarding a special Oscar to director Alejandro González Iñárritu for his VR experience titled Carne y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible), part of an exhibit that aims to explore "the human condition of immigrants and refugees."